The Jets announced today that Grammy Award-winning artist and lifelong Jets fan Lenny Kravitz will perform live on Thanksgiving night when the team hosts the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium.

The halftime show will feature a medley of Kravitz’s hits and highlight “Like A Jet,” the song he penned exclusively for the Green & White. “Like A Jet” is part of the Pepsi NFL Anthems program, a national campaign that brings to life originally created anthems for seven NFL teams around the league. Fans can get a free download of “Like a Jet” at PepsiAnthems.com. The Jets-Patriots game is presented by Pepsi.The game on Thanksgiving has been dedicated to helping and honoring all those affected by Hurricane Sandy. At the game, the Jets will continue their support by partnering with the American Red Cross to collect monetary donations at all MetLife Stadium gates, with the team matching the total donation, up to $100,000, made by fans that night.

The Jets previously announced they will also honor 100 first responders during the game. The responders will participate in pregame duties, including holding a field-sized American flag for the National Anthem, to be performed by the Newark Boys Chorus. The team will also honor all those affected by Hurricane Sandy with a moment of silence before the opening kickoff.Fans attending the game will receive a special free gift — a Jets-branded scarf — and 100 lucky fans will have the opportunity to be on-field for the Kravitz halftime performance courtesy of Pepsi. The team is encouraging fans to keep their scarves, including the Pepsi NFL Anthems hang tags, handy and to pay close attention to the videoboards during the first quarter of the game for more on this opportunity.

Also, fans with the Jets official mobile app downloaded to their phones with Jets Connect enabled will have the chance to experience the halftime performance from the field. Fans are being encouraged to check their smartphones when arriving at the stadium for details.During the game, 11 sixth-graders from Florham Park, Madison and Harding, N.J., who were selected for their commitment and involvement in the Jets Play 60 Challenge presented by Kinect for Xbox360 will lead the team out of the tunnel during introductions. Also, each participant will receive an Xbox 360 console with Kinect.Fans who cannot attend the game will be able to enjoy the Kravitz halftime show and see the first-ever live performance of the Pepsi NFL Anthem “Like A Jet” as part of the NBC television broadcast. For the latest on the team and for the complete Gameday Guide, visit newyorkjets.com.

The Jets are playing on Thanksgiving for the second time in three years. That is something that makes the team’s owner happy, but might not be such a thrill for the fans.Owner Woody Johnson actually requested that his team play on Thanksgiving night, according to a league source, despite the challenges it presents for his team and the inconvenience it places upon its fans.

Clearly, fans are not thrilled with the idea of leaving Thanksgiving dinner to go to MetLife Stadium. As of yesterday, Stubhub had 5,622 tickets available for the game with the rival Patriots, some priced as low as $28.It is interesting that Johnson requested to play on the holiday. According to a source, the Giants ask the NFL not to schedule them on Thanksgiving.

The Jets players said all the right things yesterday about the game, but it presents football challenges for a team battling for its playoff life. The Jets would have had a Thursday game on the schedule regardless, but possibly earlier in the season when the game was not as crucial as this one.

Now, instead of having a week to heal injuries and prepare for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, the Jets (who did win that last Thanksgiving game, 26-10 over the Bengals in 2010) must cram everything into three days.“It is [challenging],” tight end Dustin Keller said, “but the other team is in the same exact situation. You’ve just got to do all the things to keep your body healthy and get back on the field in three days.”

The Jets crammed a lot into yesterday, treating it like a normal Monday, when they review their last game, and a Wednesday, when they begin preparation for that week’s opponent.The Jets had meetings from 12:45 until 4 p.m., then practiced from 4:30 to 6:15. Their itinerary for the week said “Stay hydrated and well rested” at the top of the page. Thursday’s itinerary is simple, “Beat the Patriots” it says.

The NFL's Thanksgiving Classic :
A guide to the 90-year-old football tradition

Millions of turkey-stuffed Americans are sure to gorge on Thursday's slate of three football games.

How did the NFL's Turkey Day tradition begin ?

For many Americans, Thanksgiving means three things : Family, food, and football. Every year, millions of Americans feast on turkey and stuffing and sink into their couches for a full slate of NFL games. But to the uninitiated, all the football fuss is somewhat flummoxing. Here's what you should know about the Thanksgiving Classic:

Which teams are playing this year?
First, the Houston Texans (9-1) will square off against the Detroit Lions (4-6) at 12:30 p.m. EST, when most Americans will still be waiting for their turkeys to cook. Next, the Washington Redskins (4-6) will take the field against the Dallas Cowboys (5-5) at 4:15 p.m. EST, right around the time most families on the East Coat will be sounding the dinner bell. The New England Patriots (7-3) will visit the New York Jets (4-6) at 8:20 p.m., when most Americans on the Eastern Seaboard will be ready to slip into a wine and tryptophan-induced food coma.

Are these particularly important, exciting games ?
Not really. The powerhouse Texans are generally expected to steamroll the struggling Lions. The Redskins and Cowboys are division rivals, but this year, both are middling teams unlikely to score a playoff spot. And the Patriots, who appear poised to win their ninth division title in 10 years, are widely expected to trounce the underperforming Jets.

So why is the Thanksgiving Classic such a big deal ?
In an age of Monday Night Football and regular midweek games, it may be hard to understand why football fans make such a big deal out of the Thanksgiving games. But for several decades after the NFL was founded, football was exclusively played on Sundays, with the sole exception of the Thanksgiving Classic games each year. The novelty of watching professional football in the middle of the week made the games a highly anticipated ritual for many football fans. Over the years, some teams have elected to pay homage to the historic tradition by wearing throwback uniforms.

Who started the tradition ?
The NFL team most synonymous with Thanksgiving football is the Detroit Lions, who played their first Thanksgiving game in 1934 when radio executive George A. Richards — who had purchased the team as the Portsmouth Spartans and moved them to Detroit — scheduled a game on the holiday in an attempt to win newspaper publicity. The game sold out more than two weeks in advance, establishing a Motor City tradition that has continued each Thanksgiving, apart from a six-season hiatus from 1939 and 1944.

What about the Cowboys ?
The Cowboys are equally well-known for their Thanksgiving games, which began in 1966 and have continued in an almost unbroken streak, with gap years in 1975 and 1977. The third Thanksgiving game wasn't added to the schedule until 2006, and the two participating teams have rotated each year.

Anything else I should know ?
For a quick primer on the history of the Thanksgiving Classic, watch a video recapping the 10 most memorable moments in the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day history at NFL.com. Happy Thanksgiving !

Five nuggets of knowledge about the Patriots-Jets Thanksgiving Day game :

Win or go home :
A poor start by the New York Jets this season makes this a must-win game on Thanksgiving. The Jets are 4-6 and losers of three of their past four games. They cannot afford to lose another game with only six weeks left in the regular season. The Patriots do not need this win. But this is a prime opportunity for New England to end its biggest rival’s season on the Jets’ home field. These two teams have had some intense games with a lot on the line before. Expect the Jets to throw everything they have left at the Patriots in this game.The Patriots will surely miss Rob Gronkowski's effectiveness in the red zone as he recovers from a broken forearm.

"Gronk" factor :
This will be the first game the Patriots play this season without Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski. He broke his forearm in Sunday's blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts and will be out several weeks. New England’s top-rated offense has a bevy of weapons and shouldn’t miss Gronkowski too much in the short term. However, the Patriots will miss him most in the red zone, where Gronkowski has seven touchdown receptions in his past four games.

Big-game Sanchez :
Despite all the criticisms toward New York starting quarterback Mark Sanchez, one important thing he has going is the ability to play well in big games against the Patriots. Sanchez has a knack for lighting up New England’s defense. He threw for a season-high 328 yards in New York’s Week 7 overtime loss to the Patriots. Sanchez also connected for a career-high nine passes of 15 yards or more in that game. Sanchez is 3-5 all-time against New England and likely needs another big game for the Jets to pull the upset.

More work for Talib :
New England made a midseason trade to improve its struggling secondary. The Patriots acquired talented but troubled cornerback Aqib Talib from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He made an immediate impact in his first game with an interception return for a touchdown against the Colts. Talib recently concluded a four-game suspension and was clearly winded at times. His workload will only increase as he continues to work himself into football shape.

Special-teams contrast :
Thursday’s game will pit New England's hot special teams against the Jets' special teams, which have gone cold. New England is coming off one of its best special-teams performances of the season in Week 11. The Patriots had a punt return for a touchdown by Julian Edelman and also forced a fumble on special teams against the Colts. The Jets began the year in solid fashion on special teams but have been mostly outplayed in the past month. This third phase of the game could make an important difference.

The New England Patriots will play on Thanksgiving for the fifth time in team history and their first in a Thanksgiving night game when they travel to face their AFC East rival New York Jets.The Patriots will look to improve to a 4-0 record in the division and earn a series sweep of the Jets with a win this week. The Patriots defeated the Jets, 29-26, in overtime in the first meeting on Oct. 21 at Gillette Stadium.

PATRIOTS ON THANKSGIVING
This week’s game will mark the Patriots’ fifth appearance in a Thanksgiving Game.

QB Tom Brady’s NFL debut came in a game against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, 2000. In that game, he completed one of three passes for six yards while playing the final series of the game. Brady’s first career completion was a 6-yard pass to tight end Rod Rutledge against the Lions. Brady will be making his third start on Thanksgiving. Brady started against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, 2002 and in 2010.

BILL BELICHICK ON THANKSGIVING
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has coached seven times on Thanksgiving: twice as an assistant coach with the Detroit Lions (1976-77), once with the Denver Broncos (1978), once with the N.Y. Giants (1982), and three as the head coach of the New England Patriots (2000, 2002, 2010). He has a 4-3 record in those games.

TELEVISION: The game will be broadcast by NBC and can be seen in Boston on WHDH-TV Channel 7. Al Michaels will handle play-by-play duties with Cris Collinsworth providing color. Michele Tafoya will serve as the sideline reporter.

RADIO: 98.5 FM, The Sports Hub, is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. A complete listing of the network’s 40 stations can be found in this press release. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 36th season as the voice of the Patriots and will call the action. Former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak will handle the color commentary.

NATIONAL RADIO: This week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by Dial Global Sports. Ian Eagle and Boomer Esiason will call the game. Laura Okmin will be the sideline reporter.

SERIES HISTORY

The Patriots and Jets will meet for the 108th time, including three postseason games, since the series between the AFC East rivals began in 1960, and for the second time in 2012. The Patriots beat the Jets, 29-26 in overtime in the first meeting on Oct. 21 at Gillette Stadium.The Patriots will be looking for their 15th series sweep and second straight sweep when they play this week. Last season, the Patriots earned their 14th sweep in the series following a 30-21 win at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 9 and a 37-16 victory in the rematch at MetLife Stadium in a Sunday Night Football game on Nov. 13. The Patriots victory over the Jets earlier in the season put them in front 54-52-1 in the all-time series. The Patriots are 29-25-1 all-time in home games against the Jets, including 25-19 overall in Foxborough and 9-4 at Gillette Stadium.The teams have played in the postseason three times, a 1985 Wild Card game, a 2006 Wild Card game and an AFC Divisional game in 2010. New England beat the Jets, 26-14, in 1985 at the Meadowlands on their way to Super Bowl XX. In 2006, the Patriots defeated the Jets, 37-16, at Gillette Stadium. The Jets defeated the Patriots, 28-21, in the 2010 playoff game.New England is 25-14 against the Jets since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. New England’s 54 victories over the Jets (including two playoff wins) are the second most over any single opponent, trailing only Buffalo with 64 all-time wins.

SERIES BREAKDOWN
NEW ENGLAND 54, NEW YORK 52, 1 Tie
(Including New England 2, New York 1 in Playoffs)

Home Record, 29-25-1 (incl. 1-1 in playoffs) Record in Foxborough, 25-19
Gillette Stadium, 9-4
Foxboro Stadium, 16-15
Record in Boston, 4-5-1
Record in Birmingham, Alabama, 0-1

New England Ties
•Jets DE Mike DeVito is a native of Wellfleet, Mass., and played college football at Maine from 2003-06.
•Jets Offensive Coordinator Tony Sparano played center at the University of New Haven from 1978-82. Sparano returned to New Haven in 1984 when he received his first coaching position and spent four seasons (1984-87) serving as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. Sparano left New Haven following the 1987 season and took a job with Boston University as the offensive line coach, recruiting coordinator and academic liaison. After serving in that capacity for two seasons, Sparano was promoted to offensive coordinator at BU. Sparano would return to New Haven once again in 1994 and serve as head coach through the 1998 season.
•Jets Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Bill Hughan served as an assistant coach at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., from 1997-98.
•Jets Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo was born in Cambridge, Mass., graduated from Lexington High School in 1986 and was a member of the Boston University offensive line from 1986-90. DeGuglielmo has held a number of coaching positions throughout New England during his career and has coached at Boston College (graduate assistant OL 1991-92) Boston University (OL 1993-95, OL/Assistant Head Coach 1996) and the University of Connecticut (OL 1997-98).
•Jets Defensive Quality Control Coach Brian Smith coached seven seasons at the University of Massachusetts and spent time coaching the defensive backs, linebackers and wide receivers during his tenure.

New York and New Jersey Ties
•CB Kyle Arrington played football at Hofstra University from 2004-07.
•S Steve Gregory was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and was named Newsday and New York Daily News All-City RB at Curtis High School in Staten Island, N.Y. Gregory rushed for a borough-record 2,060 yards as a senior and finished his high school career with 51 touchdowns, 184 tackles and five interceptions.
•CB Devin McCourty is a native of Montvale, N.J. and attended Saint Joseph’s High School before moving on to Rutgers University.
•DL Justin Francis played at Rutgers University from 2007- 11.
•Safeties Coach Brian Flores is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. and attended Poly Prep, where he was a running back and linebacker.
•Coaching Assistant Steve Belichick attended Rutgers University where he played four years of lacrosse and spent one season as the long snapper for the football team.

Former Patriots
•Jets RB Lex Hilliard had a brief stint with the Patriots earlier this season. Hilliard was signed by New England on Sept. 4 and waived on Sept. 19. Hilliard appeared in two games for the Patriots and tallied one carry for two yards.
•Jets Quarterbacks Coach Matt Cavanaugh was a secondround draft pick of the Patriots in 1978 and played for New England for five years (1978-82).

Former Jets
•Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick spent the 1997-1999 seasons as asst. head coach/secondary for the Jets before moving to New England for the 2000 season. The 1998 Jets became AFC East Champions under Belichick’s guidance.
•Patriots Linebackers Coach Pepper Johnson played two seasons with the Jets (1997-98).
•Patriots RB Danny Woodhead was a member of the Jets in 2008 and through the first week of the 2010 season. Woodhead was released by the Jets on Sept. 14 and signed by the Patriots four days later.
•Patriots CB Marquice Cole played for the Jets from 2009- 11.

Former Teammates
•Jets QB Tim Tebow played for the Broncos from 2010-11 and spent time with Patriots WR Brandon Lloyd (2010) and Patriots TE Daniel Fells (2011).
•Lloyd also played with Jets T Jason Smith in St. Louis during the 2011 season. Smith was also teammates with Patriots TE Michael Hoomanawanui in St. Louis from 2010-11.
•Patriots LB Tracy White teamed up with Jets DT Daniel Muir for the Packers in 2007.
•Patriots DE Trevor Scott played with Jets WR Chaz Schillens in Oakland from 2008-11.
•Patriots S Steve Gregory and Jets CB Antonio Cromartie roamed the San Diego Chargers secondary together from 2006-09.
•Jets S Yeremiah Bell played for the Miami Dolphins from 2004-11 and teamed up with a number of Patriots players. Bell played with Patriots WR Wes Welker (2005-06), Patriots OL Donald Thomas (2008-09) and Patriots DL Rob Ninkovich (2007-08).
•Jets S LaRon Landry teamed up with Patriots WR Brandon Lloyd for one season in Washington (2007).
•Patriots LB Niko Koutouvides played one season in Tampa Bay with Jets P Robert Malone (2010).

Former College Teammates
•Jets QB Greg McElroy played at the University of Alabama with Patriots DL Brandon Deaderick (2006-08) and LB Dont’a Hightower (2008-10).
•Jets QB Tim Tebow teamed up with Patriots players DE Jermaine Cunningham (2006-09), TE Aaron Hernandez (2007-09) and LB Brandon Spikes (2006-09) at the University of Florida.
•Patriots OL Marcus Cannon and Jets WR Jeremy Kerley were teammates at TCU from 2007-10.
•Patriots WR Brandon Lloyd played at the University of Illinois with Jets G Brandon Moore from 1999-01. Patriots rookie DB Tavon Wilson and Jets TE Jeff Cumberland also played together for the Fighting Illini from 2008-09.
•Patriots DE Rob Ninkovich played with Jets TE Dustin Keller at Purdue from 2004-05.
•Patriots rookie DB Alfonzo Dennard played one season (2008) with Jets G Matt Slauson at Nebraska.
•Patriots P Zoltan Mesko and Jets LB David Harris played together at the University of Michigan from 2005-06.
•Patriots G Logan Mankins played at Fresno State with Jets LB Garrett McIntyre from 2002-04. Patriots C Ryan Wendell played with McIntyre for one season (2004) and also played with Jets P Robert Malone from 2006-07.
•Patriots RB Stevan Ridley was teammates with Jets S LaRon Landry for one season at LSU (2007).

WHAT TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK AT JETS

BILL BELICHICK

Bill Belichick (199) needs one more win to become the eighth NFL coach with 200 victories.

TOM BRADY

With one touchdown pass against the Jets, Tom Brady will extend his streak to 43 straight games with at least one touchdown pass and continue his third longest streak all time, behind Drew Brees (53-current) and Johnny Unitas (47).Brady has 51 career 300-yard games in the regular season and needs one more to break a sixth place tie with Hall of Famer Dan Fouts (51) and move into a tie for fifth place with Kurt Warner (52).Brady has two rushing touchdowns in 2012 and needs one more to tie his single-season career high of three set in 2011.Brady tied Drew Brees with his ninth NFL game with four touchdowns, 300 yards and no interceptions against St. Louis and needs one more such game to be alone in first place.Brady (42,955) needs 85 passing yards to move past Dan Fouts (43,040) into 10th place all time. Brady (2,976) needs 24 passing yards for his 10th 3,000- yard season.

STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI

Stephen Gostkowski (7-of-10) needs one more 50-yard field goal to tie Adam Vinatieri (8-of-17) for most 50-yard field goals in Patriots history.

Gostkowski has two 50-yarders so far in 2012 and can become the first Patriots player with three 50-yard field goals in a single season.

JEROD MAYO

Jerod Mayo needs to have a 10-plus tackle game against the Jets for his ninth game in 2012 and his fifth straight game with 10 or more tackles. His career best is two fourgame streaks with 10 or more tackles in 2010 and ten games in 2010 with 10 or more tackles.

ROB NINKOVICH

Rob Ninkovich has a team-leading five forced fumbles. If he has one more forced fumble he will break a tie with Mike Vrabel (five in 2007) for the most forced fumbles for a Patriots player within the last 20 years. Ninkovich has 6.0 sacks in 2012 and needs one more to set a career best. He had 6.5 sacks in 2011.

WES WELKER

Wes Welker (16) needs one more 10-plus catch game to break a second place tie with Marvin Harrison (16) and Andre Johnson (16) and tie Jerry Rice (17) for the most 10-catch games in NFL history.Welker needs one reception to extend his streak to 88 straight regular-season games with at least one reception as a member of the Patriots to extend his franchise record. Welker has an overall streak of 104 straight regular-season games with at least one reception, including his time with the Miami Dolphins.

TEAM

Since the 2010 season, the Patriots are 18-0 in the second half. In both 2010 and 2011, the Patriots were 8-0 in the second half of the season. Their last loss was in the 2009 season-finale at Houston, a 34-27 loss, on Jan. 3, 2010.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

BY THE NUMBERS

3
The Patriots have lost three games in 2012 by two points or fewer. They are the first team to lose three games by two points or less in the first six games since the 1960 Dallas Texans.

3
Rookie DE Chandler Jones has forced three fumbles on sacks so far in 2012.

3
Julian Edelman returned his third punt for a TD vs. Indianapolis and joins Troy Brown and Irving Fryar as the only Patriots with three punts returned for a touchdown.

3
Rob Ninkovich has three forced fumbles on sacks so far in 2012.

4
The number of interceptions in 2012 by rookie S Tavon Wilson, one more than the total he had during his college career at Illinois.

6
The number of sacks by rookie DE Chandler Jones in the first ten games of the season. The Patriots rookie record for most sacks in a season is 10.5 by Garin Veris in 1985.

7
The number of strip-sack/turnovers the Patriots have in 2012 with 1 by Vince Wilfork and 3 each by Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich.

11
The number of 20-yard runs by RB Stevan Ridley. Since 2000, Corey Dillon and Antowain Smith are tied with 13 runs of 20 or more, followed by Ridley and Laurence Maroney (11).

9
The number of times that Wes Welker has reached 100 yards receiving in a half (6 in the first half and 3 in the second).

20
The number of rushing yards the Patriots defense held Tennessee to in the 2012 season opener – tied for fifth-lowest total in team history.

35
The number of first downs by the Patriots vs. Denver (10/7) to set a franchise record and make the Patriots the first team since the 1970 merger to have three straight games with 30 or more first downs.

47
Julian Edelman had a 47-yard run vs. Indianapolis, the longest run ever by a Patriots wide receiver, topping a 35-yard run by Troy Brown in 2000

51
During the Patriots 18-game second half winning streak, the Patriots have forced opponents into 51 turnovers, while turning the ball over four times.

842
The number of rushing yards through the first 10 games by Stevan Ridley, putting him on pace to finish the year with 1,347 yards and become the 12th Patriots player to reach 1,000 yards.

TOM BRADY BY THE NUMBERS

1
Tom Brady became the first player to follow a 500-yard performance with a 400-yard performance after Brady had backto- back games with 517 yards and 423 yards to start 2011.

4
The number of seasons that Brady has reached 4,000 passing yards. His four 4,000-yard seasons are tied with Warren Moon and Philip Rivers for the fifth most in NFL history.

6
Brady became the sixth NFL quarterback in NFL history to have 30 or more touchdowns passes in at least three seasons.

14
Tom Brady is one of 14 quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 500 or more yards after he passed for 517 in the 2011 opener at Miami.

22
The number of times Tom Brady has earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors to tie Peyton Manning (22) for the most Player of the Week awards earned by a player since the accolade was instituted in 1984.

34
The number of times that Brady has thrown for at least three touchdowns with no interceptions, third in NFL history behind Peyton Manning (37) and Brett Favre (36).

42
The number of consecutive games that Brady has thrown at least one touchdown pass, third best behind 53 by Drew Brees and 47 by Johnny Unitas.

51
The number of regular season 300-yard passing games by Tom Brady, a team record.

103
The number of times that Brady has thrown two or more touchdowns in a game. The Patriots are 87-16 when he throws for two or more touchdowns.

5,235
The number of passing yards by Brady in 2011, the second most in a season in NFL history.

THE KRAFT ERA

3
The number of Super Bowl championships the Patriots have won since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. That mark is the highest total in the NFL over that span. Only Denver (2; 1997 and 1998), Pittsburgh (2; 2005 and 2008) and the NY Giants (2: 2007 and 2011) have won multiple Super Bowl titles since 1994.

6
The number of conference championships the Patriots have won since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. That mark is the highest total in the NFL over that span. Pittsburgh is second with four conference titles since 1994.

11
The number of division championships won by the Patriots since Kraft purchased the team in 1994.

13
The number of playoff seasons earned by the Patriots in the 18 seasons since Robert Kraft purchased the team.

19
The number of playoff games the Patriots have won since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. That mark is the highest total in the NFL over that span. Pittsburgh ranks second with 17 playoff wins over that span.

29
The number of playoff games the Patriots have appeared in since 1994, the most in the NFL. Pittsburgh has the second most with 27.

200
The number of consecutive home games that have been sold out, including playoff and postseason games dating back to the 1994 season opener.

THE BELICHICK ERA

4
Bill Belichick is one of just four coaches to win three championships since the Super Bowl era began. Belichick joins three members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the exclusive club (Chuck Noll 4, Joe Gibbs 3 and Bill Walsh 3). Belichick is the only coach to win three Super Bowls in the post-1993 salary cap era and the only one to ever win three in four years.

199
Bill Belichick has 199 career victories as a head coach, including playoff games for 8th place all-time.

Recently, the New York Jets have been one of the NFL's holiday teams.They have played five times on Christmas Eve, including last year's home game against the Giants at MetLife Stadium. Once they played on Christmas Night, that big win on a rainy evening in Miami in 2006.

New Year's Eve ?

At home against the Raiders in '06.

New Year's Day ?

Last year at Miami.And of course Thanksgiving. Tonight's affair with the New England Patriots is the Jets' eighth all-time, their third in the last six years, their second at home on Thanksgiving night in three years.We could give you more numbers to give some idea of what might happen tonight between these AFC East rivals of long standing. How the Jets have done on this special November day (4-3, 3-0 at home), How the home teams have fared in this season of a Thursday night game every week (quite well at 7-3). How Rex Ryan teams have beaten Bill Belichick teams two of the last three in the Meadowlands and three out of seven since '09.But the records mean little because, well, because they normally mean little. What does it matter for this game that the Jets have never lost at home on Thanksgiving night in 1960, 1961 and 2010?And they mean less than ever because of the state of the teams.

Patriots Riding Their Offensive Wave

The Patriots are cresting,especially on offense,as they frequently haveduring the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady collaboration — 2007 comes to mind.Jets CB Antonio Cromartie said he relishes the opportunity to duel Brady one more time."Definitely, just going against one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, if not the best quarterback in the NFL, is always a competitive edge," Cro said. "You always want to make sure that you go up against the best and do well against the best.That’s something I’malways looking forward to."But the defensive coach in Ryan lays out the difficulty of that challenge."Somebody was telling me before we played them [last month] that I think they were going for a record — maybe they got it against us — with over 350 yards or something as a team, for like 500 games in a row or something like that," Ryan recalled. "I don’t know what it is, but it just seems like it. You look at the numbers and 'Hey, they’re struggling in this, they’re fourth in the league in this category, so that’s something that we really take advantage of.'

"When you look at them offensively, Brady doesn’t get sacked, they don’t turn the ball over, they lead the league in points, rushing is in the top five. It’s like, man, I don’t know."They haven't been perfect, with losses at home to Arizona (!) and on the road at Baltimore and Seattle. But they're in familiar territory — win or loss tonight, they will still be in sole possession of the division top spot for the 100th week in the last 10 seasons, or since dynasty really got rolling in 2003.

The Jets' Inner Game

And the Jets are still in grim must-win mode. Let safety LaRon Landry set the stage :

"What's understood doesn't have to be explained. Our record is our record. We need to win, basically we need to win out, to get where we envisioned us going since OTAs, know what I mean? ... It's not about our opponent anymore. It's about who we want to be as Jets, what our character is. What are we made of ? Who are we representing? That's how I look at it."The Green & White have had some, but only some, positive answers to those questions. One came in the Oct. 21 game at Gillette Stadium. If Mark Sanchez doesn't throw that interception, if Stephen Hill doesn't drop that pass, if the defense makes a quicker third-down stop on either of two last-minute field goal drives, if Sanchez doesn't lose the ball on the Rob Ninkovich overtime sack ... an upset in Foxboro was oh so close.Then the efficient performance on most fronts at St. Louis displayed some of that character Landry and others are looking to see. Sanchez was 15-for-20 passing & QB'd only his third game as a Jet with at least a 70% completion rate and no giveaways. (The first was the '09 wild-card game at Cincinnati, the second the '10 home regular-season win over New England.)And the defense, with DE Muhammad Wilkerson in the lead, harassed the upticking Rams back into a downward trend. Perhaps in the spirit of non-trash bonhomie this week, even Brady threw the Jets' D some bouquets."They played us in our game as well as any defense we’ve faced all year," the Pats QB said. "They limited us offensively in what we did. We didn’t do much. They looked like the same Jet defense to me like they always have. They’re very good, disruptive, physical, tough, smart. They play well together. They’ve really got a very good group."

Next Chapter in the '12 Storybook

Maybe the defense can coax another turnover or two out of the Brady offense, or the special teams will bring only the Jekyll part of their personality and not the Hyde side to the stadium. Perhaps the Jets' three-headed running back of Shonn Greene, Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight is ready to take off from its game by the Gateway Arch. Maybe the Jets' relative health compared to the Patriots missing not only TE Rob Gronkowski but also G Logan Mankins & DEChandler Jones will come into play.But that's asking an awful lot of stars to align. The one element the Jets control is their approach to this game, their demeanor, the narrative to their season."it's good to have a plan, but when it comes down to the comedown, the reality is you got to execute that plan,"Landry said."Some games we didn't execute that plan, we didn't finish, so now we're where we're at right now."It's all about how we fight and how we finish. We can't tell you ahead of time how we're going to finish, but we can tell you this: We're going to fight, we're going to play hard, we're going to give it all we've got. And we'll let the outcome be the outcome."

"This storybook is a 16-chapter story," said DT Sione Po‘uha, "and the story's not done until it's done. We're starting to see the team turn around a little bit. The win we had last Sunday was in the right direction. We're continuing to work on it, just getting better and building from it."Interesting that in that metaphor, tonight's game for the Jets is Chapter 11. If they want to keep building their story tonight, they can't show up bankrupt in the character department. They need to have a holiday game for the ages.

Welcome to MetLife Stadium, where the New England Patriots (7-3) will face the New York Jets (4-6) in a Thanksgiving night clash.Doesn't feel like late November. The current temperature in North Jersey is 55 degrees, and the temperature is expected to stay in the 40s throughout the game. Skies are clear, winds are light, and no precipitation is in the forecast. A great night for football.Four more inactives needed. The Patriots will need to deactivate an additional four players for this game. The team has already declared tight end Rob Gronkowski (forearm/hip), guard Logan Mankins (ankle/calf), and defensive end Chandler Jones (ankle) as out for the game. There are an additional 13 players listed as questionable.

Carey gets the call. Tonight's official is Mike Carey, who will be officiating his first Patriots game this season.Thanksgiving festivities. NBC is airing its first ever Thanksgiving night game, which will include a live halftime performance by musician Lenny Kravitz.Scouts in the house. There are scouts from the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and New York Giants in attendance at tonight's game. The Patriots travel to face the Dolphins next week, while the Jets will host the Cardinals. The Giants, of course, share this facility with the Jets.